Animal, Plant & Soil

Science
Lesson C7-10
The Poultry Industry
Interest Approach
 Display eggs on a safe surface to show the
different colors, grades, and weight
classes. Start a discussion by asking
students to think of reasons that the eggs
may be different.
Objectives
 List and briefly describe each of the
major birds classified as poultry.
 Define terms used to describe poultry,
and identify the external parts of
poultry.
 Compare and contrast the classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens.
Objectives
 Compare and contrast the popular
breeds of turkeys, ducks, and geese.

 Recognize the advantages and

disadvantages of poultry production.

 Identify leading states and nations in

poultry production and determine
major export and import markets for
the United States.
Objectives
 Examine the impact of the poultry
industry on the U.S. and Illinois
economies.
What are the major birds classified
as poultry?
 Poultry is the group name for all
domesticated birds used for meat,
eggs, or feathers.
 Poultry is also referred to as birds
and fowl.
 These birds have wings, backbones, and feathers;
some can even swim.
 A. The main group of poultry is chickens.
 Chickens are the largest segment of the poultry
industry.
 These birds are raised for meat and eggs.
 There are many types and breeds of chickens.
 Many chickens are raised in commercial settings.
What are the major birds classified
as poultry?
 B. Turkeys are next largest division
of the poultry industry.
 Turkeys are raised for meat products.
 The white meat from turkeys is widely
consumed in the United States.
 C. The third sector of the poultry
industry is ducks.
 Meat, eggs, down, and feathers are the main products.
 Down is the soft, feathery covering that grows under
the feathers.
 Ducks and duck products are not used or consumed as
much as chickens and turkeys in the United States.
What are the major birds classified
as poultry?
 D. Geese are raised for several reasons.
 Meat, eggs, feathers, and down are the main
products.
 Geese provide specialized meat/food products
for holiday occasions.
 They are also used for weeding fields.
 E. Some other birds are classified as
poultry but are not produced in numbers
as large as the birds mentioned above.
 These include peafowl, swans, ratites, and
guinea fowl.
 Several species are raised for specialized
products.
What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
 To discuss poultry, familiarity with
common terms is important.
 A. Chickens are classified as layers or
broilers.
 Layers are chickens used to produce large
quantities of eggs.
 Eggs are used for food and to produce chicks.
What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
 Spent hens are hens that are no longer laying.
 These hens will go to the meat market and will
be used for processed foods.
 Soups and baked chicken commonly use meat
from spent hens.
 Broilers are six- to
seven-week-old
chickens weighing
about 4
pounds that
are used for meat
because they are
tender.
What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
 B. Chickens are grouped by sex
and age.
 A baby chicken of either sex is a chick.
 A young male chicken is a cockerel.
 A castrated (neutered) male chicken
is a capon.
 A mature male chicken is a rooster.
 A young female chicken is a pullet.
 A mature female chicken is a hen, as is a
mature female duck, turkey, or pheasant.
 A miniature chicken is a bantam.
 A group of chickens is a flock.
What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
 C. Turkeys are also grouped by sex and
age.
 An adult male turkey is a tom or a gobbler.
 A mature female is a hen.
 A young turkey of either sex is a poult.
 Commonly, a young turkey is called either a
tom poult or a hen poult.
 A group of turkeys is a flock.
What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
 D. Ducks have down that grows under the
feathers.
 A drake is a mature male duck.
 A hen is a mature female duck.
 A duckling is a young duck of
either sex.
 E. A young goose is a gosling.
 A male goose at maturity is a gander.
 A female goose at maturity is a goose or a
hen.
 When not flying, a group of geese is a gaggle.
What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
 F. Externally, most birds are very
similar.
 Features on the head and neck help
identify them.
 Breeds of birds have different colored
shanks, and pigments are different if the
hen has been laying eggs.
 Ducks and geese live around water and can swim.
 Thus, the external structures of their feet are different
from those of chickens and turkeys, which cannot swim.
 Heads of poultry can differentiate birds.
 Male birds typically will have larger head features, such
as the knob in geese, the comb in chickens, and the
beard in turkeys.
What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 There are more than 300 breeds and
varieties of chickens.
 A breed is a group of animals of the same
origin with similar characteristics that
differentiate them from other breeds within
the same species.
 A variety is a subdivision of a breed.
 With poultry, a variety may have a
distinguishing color, a particular comb size or
type, or the presence of a beard.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 A strain is a population within a
variety that possesses common
traits.
 Commercial poultry producers use
strains for specific purposes in production.
 A group of birds developed in the same
geographic area is categorized as a
particular class.
 In the United States, chickens are commonly
grouped into four main classes.
 The classes are Mediterranean, American,
English, and Asiatic.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 A. Common Mediterranean breeds:
 1. The Leghorn is a very common
breed used for egg laying.
 Leghorns prefer to wander around
and are good foragers.
 This breed is also known for its ability to take flight.
 Leghorns produce white eggs.
 They express yellow skin, yellow shanks, white earlobes,
and reddish-bay eyes.
 The Leghorn is the most popular breed, with 12 common
varieties and the highest production numbers in the
United States.
 The White Leghorn is a popular variety.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 2. The Minorca is the largest of the
Mediterranean breeds.
 It has a long tail and large, wide
feathers.
 The Minorca also has a large comb.
 The Black Minorca is a popular variety.
 Minorcas produce white eggs.
 They express white skin, dark slate shanks,
white earlobes, and brown eyes.
 Because of their narrow bodies, they are
typically not raised for their meat.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 3. The Andalusian has a distinctive blue
color produced by the breeding of a black
Andalusian and a white Andalusian.
 Birds of this breed are small in frame, active,
and rarely seen in large numbers.
 They produce white eggs.
 They express white skin; dark, slaty blue
shanks; white earlobes; and reddish-bay eyes.
 Blue Andalusian birds are typically raised for
their beauty and ornamental purposes.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 B. Common American breeds:
 1. The Plymouth Rock is used
for meat and egg production.
 It expresses a broad back and a
deep, full breast.
 Other external characteristics include yellow
skin, yellow shanks, red earlobes, and reddish-
bay eyes.
 Females are primarily used as commercial
broilers.
 Popular varieties include the Barred Plymouth
Rock and the White Plymouth Rock.
 The breed lays brown eggs.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 2. The New Hampshire is known as a
medium-sized meat chicken.
 It is an average egg layer.
 New Hampshires are aggressive
chickens and make good
mothers.
 Their color is a medium to light red.
 They lay brown eggs.
 Hampshires have yellow skin, yellow shanks,
red earlobes, and reddish-bay eyes.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 3. The Rhode Island Red has two varieties:
single and rose comb.
 It is known for being a hardy
bird with the ability to produce
eggs despite a poor diet and
poor housing.
 The Rhode Island Red is a dual-purpose breed;
that is, it is raised for meat and eggs.
 The breed is dark red and lays brown eggs.
 Rhode Island Reds have yellow skin, yellow
shanks, red earlobes, and reddish-bay eyes.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 C. Common English breeds:
 1. The Cornish chicken is known as the ultimate
meat bird.
 The arrangement and development of muscles give the
carcass excellent shape.
 There are four common varieties of Cornish chickens:
Dark, White, White Laced Red, and Buff.
 The Cornish chicken has a broad body and widely spaced
legs.
 It does not perform well in the cold and needs
protection.
 Cornish chickens like to move around and need space to
exercise and develop muscles.
 They lay brown eggs.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 2. The Australorp chicken is a good layer
and considered one of the best dual-
purpose birds.
 It is black with dark eyes.
 The breed lays tinted eggs.
 Australorp chickens are
used in the production
of crossbreds.
What are the different classes,
breeds, and varieties of chickens?
 D. Common Asiatic breeds:
 1. The Brahma is commonly used for meat
production and crossbreeding purposes.
 Brahmas lay brown eggs.
 There are three varieties of Brahmas: Light, Dark, and
Buff. The Brahma has a large structure and yet is gentle.
 It possesses an intricate color pattern.
 2. The Cochin is another Asiatic breed.
 There are four varieties: Black, Buff, Partridge, and
White.
 Cochins have yellow skin and lay brown eggs.
 They are known for their excellent mothering ability and
are typically used as ornamental birds.
 In appearance, the Cochin is described as a big, fluffy
ball of feathers.
What are different breeds of
turkeys, ducks, and geese?
 Knowing breeds of poultry is
important when one is deciding
what types of birds to raise on a
farm.
 A. There are several varieties of
turkeys.
 These varieties are the Bronze, Narragansett, Black,
Slate, Bourbon Red, Royal Palm, and White.
 Most turkeys raised for meat are of the White variety.
 The poultry industry has pushed for large, white turkeys
for meat production.
 The Broad-Breasted Large White is the most commonly
grown bird in the United States.
 It was developed from crosses.
 The males have black beards, and all birds have white
feet, beaks, and shanks.
What are different breeds of
turkeys, ducks, and geese?
 B. Some duck breeds are used for
meat and others for eggs.
 1. Duck breeds used for meat
include the Call, Swedish, Rouen,
White Pekin, Aylesbury, Muscovy,
and Cayuga.
 The White Pekin is the most commonly used bird for
meat production in the United States.
 White Pekins, which originated in China, weigh 8 pounds
at maturity.
 They produce excellent carcasses and have yellow skin
with white feathers.
 They are nervous birds that produce white-tinted eggs.
 2. Egg-laying breeds include the Khaki Campbell
and the Indian Runner.
 The Khaki Campbell is used in some countries for
commercial egg production.
 What are different breeds of
turkeys, ducks, and geese?
 C. Geese raised in the United States are used for
meat, eggs, feathers, down, and
the weeding of crops.
 The five most common breeds of
geese are the Toulouse, Embden,
White Chinese, Pilgrim, and African.
 The Toulouse, Embden, White Chinese,
and Pilgrim are good for meat production purposes.
 Toulouse geese are gray in color and are the largest in
size.
 Embden and White Chinese geese are considered the
best of the medium-sized carcasses, have rapid growth
rates, and have heavy coats of white or nearly white
feathers.
 Pilgrim males are creamy white, whereas the females are
olive-gray.
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of poultry production?
 Poultry production has several
advantages and disadvantages
 A. The advantages of raising
poultry are:
 1. Capital investment is usually
low compared with that of other
livestock operations.
 In controlled environment operations, because of the
birds’ size, little land or space in buildings is required.
 2. Caged birds decrease labor for the producer.
 3. Current genetics in all breeds have improved
over the years, allowing for better meat and egg
production.
 4. The opportunity exists to contract with a large
company.
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of poultry production?
 5. Producers provide wholesome
poultry products to the consumer.
 6. Jobs are provided throughout
the poultry industry.
 7. Small flocks are still present, just not as
many as 50 years ago.
 These operations serve as hobby farms.
 They have opportunities in niche markets for
free-range birds.
 8. Poultry provides interest to FFA and 4-H
projects.
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of poultry production?
 B. The disadvantages of raising poultry are:
 1. Because of vertical integration, large operations
have taken control of production in many
segments of the poultry industry.
 2. Large operations require housing and
equipment.
 Capital investment increases.
 3. Disease outbreaks can destroy an entire flock.
 4. Nutritional diseases and deficiencies are
common in poultry.
 Good nutrition management is critical in poultry
production.
 5. A small operation’s labor is higher than in other
livestock ventures because of the cost of
gathering eggs.
What are the leading states and nations in
poultry production, and what are the major
export and import markets for the United States?
 Statistics show the leading states and
nations in poultry production and the major
export and import markets for the United
States.
 A. The leading states,
based on poultry/egg cash
receipts for 2006, are the
following: (1) Georgia,
(2)
Arkansas, (3) North
Carolina, (4) Alabama, (5) Mississippi, (6)
Texas, (7) California, (8) Missouri, (9)
Virginia, (10) South Carolina.
 Illinois ranks 33rd.
What are the leading states and nations in
poultry production, and what are the major
export and import markets for the United States?
 The top 10 egg-producing states (2005)
are the following: (1) Iowa, (2) Ohio, (3)
Indiana, (4) Pennsylvania, (5) California,
(6) Texas, (7) Nebraska, (8) Florida, (9)
Minnesota, (10) Georgia.
What are the leading states and nations in
poultry production, and what are the major
export and import markets for the United States?
 B. The top 10 states in production of young meat
chickens for harvest (2006) are the following: (1)
Georgia, (2) Arkansas, (3) Alabama, (4) North
Carolina, (5) Mississippi, (6) Texas, (7) Delaware,
(8) Missouri, (9) South Carolina, (10) Virginia.
 The top 10 turkey-producing states (2007) are
the following: (1) Minnesota, (2) North Carolina,
(3) Arkansas, (4) Virginia, (5) Missouri, (6)
California, (7) Indiana, (8) Pennsylvania, (9)
Iowa, (10) South Carolina.
 California is the leader in organic poultry production,
while New York is second.
What are the leading states and nations in
poultry production, and what are the major
export and import markets for the United States?
 C. The leading chicken-producing nations
(2005) are the following: (1) United
States, (2) China, (3) European Union, (4)
United Kingdom, (5) France, (6) Spain, (7)
Poland, (8) Brazil, (9) Mexico, (10) India.
 The leading nations in hen egg production
(2005) are the following: (1) China, (2)
United States, (3) India, (4) Japan, (5)
Russia, (6) Mexico, (7) Brazil, (8) France,
(9) Indonesia, (10) Turkey.
What are the leading states and nations in
poultry production, and what are the major
export and import markets for the United States?
 D. The leading nations in turkey meat
production (2003) are the following: (1)
United States, (2) France, (3) Germany,
(4) Italy, (5) United Kingdom.
 The leading nations in duck meat
production (2003) are the following: (1)
China, (2) France, (3) India, (4) Vietnam,
(5) Thailand.
 The leading nations in goose meat
production (2003) are the following: (1)
China, (2) Hungary, (3) Egypt, (4) Poland,
(5) Serbia.
What are the leading states and nations in
poultry production, and what are the major
export and import markets for the United States?
 E. The leading U.S. broiler export markets (2006)
are the following: (1) Russia, (2) China, (3)
Mexico, (4) Canada, (5) Turkey, (6) Angola, (7)
Lithuania, (8) Cuba, (9) Ukraine, (10) Taiwan.
 The leading U.S. turkey export markets (2006)
are the following: (1) Mexico, (2) China, (3)
Russia, (4) Canada, (5) Hong Kong, (6) Taiwan,
(7) Panama, (8) Greece, (9) Korea, (10) Haiti.
 Japan is the largest market for egg product exports.
 Canada and Mexico are also markets for egg product
exports. U.S. poultry imports are only a very small
percentage compared with exports.
 The major supplier is Canada.
 How does the poultry industry affect
the U.S. and Illinois economies?
 The poultry industry has
gone through major
changes in the past several
years.
 Vertical integration has
allowed the poultry industry to increase
large-sized farms and produce more
poultry products by reducing labor and
improving overall efficiency.
 The poultry industry has also gained
acceptance from health-conscious
Americans, who eat more chicken because
of its leanness and nutritional values.
How does the poultry industry affect
the U.S. and Illinois economies?
 A. Approximately 99 percent of all broilers
are produced under contract.
 Company-owned farms have
allowed American poultry
producers to reduce costs
and improve efficiency
through
scientific advancements,
improved technology, and greater
management/health control of birds.
 All stages are controlled to utilize resources and
facilities with maximum efficiency in the
production of more uniform birds.
 Controlled environmental buildings have allowed
improved feed conversions and better livability.
How does the poultry industry affect
the U.S. and Illinois economies?
 B. Avian influenza has had
a huge impact on the
poultry industry and
will continue to do so.
 Poultry industry groups continue to educate the
public and media to ensure the safety and
quality of U.S. poultry meat and egg products.
 Poultry imports to the United States are
minimal, with Canada being our main supplier.
 As global markets continue to rebound from
2004 avian influenza and disease outbreaks,
the United States continues to be a huge
exporter of quality, healthy poultry products.
How does the poultry industry affect
the U.S. and Illinois economies?
 C. Poultry niche markets are becoming
popular in urban areas.
 The demand for free-range,
antibiotic-free, and/or organic
birds/eggs is growing.
 Organic consumers want more
poultry products.
 Specialized farms are growing in numbers to
meet the demand.
 Efficiency factors are critical in specialized
production, which challenges the industry and
the producer.
How does the poultry industry affect
the U.S. and Illinois economies?
 D. Currently, Americans
consume about 81
pounds of chicken per
person per year,
making poultry
a very popular
selection for the dinner
table.
 The United States produces about 75 billion
eggs per year.
 That is about 10 percent of the world egg
supply.
 The poultry industry is important to the U.S.
economy.
How does the poultry industry affect
the U.S. and Illinois economies?
 As the poultry industry
continues to provide high-
quality meat and egg
products to Americans,
demands for poultry
products will stay
strong and exports will
continue to rise.
 Poultry industry groups, like the National
Chicken Council and the American Egg Board,
will have to meet the challenges of continuing
education to consumers and producers.
How does the poultry industry affect
the U.S. and Illinois economies?
 E. Illinois’ leading commodities are
traditionally corn, soybeans, hogs, and
cattle.
 Chicken/eggs are ninth on the 2006 cash
receipts listings for Illinois.
 Poultry production and poultry products are
essential parts of Illinois agriculture.
 Just as poultry producers continue to meet
challenges on the national front, Illinois
producers will also have to deal with the
stresses and threats of animal diseases.
Review
 What are the major birds classified as
poultry?
 What are the proper terms used in
describing poultry, and what are the
external parts of poultry?
 What are the different classes, breeds,
and varieties of chickens?
Review
 What are different breeds of turkeys,
ducks, and geese?

 What are the advantages and

disadvantages of poultry production?
Review
 What are the leading states and nations in
poultry production, and what are the
major export and import markets for the
United States?

 How does the poultry industry affect the

U.S. and Illinois economies?